Method and apparatus for carding fibrous material



Dec. 29, 19z5. 1,567,841 I J. A. CURTIN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CARDING FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed Jan. 13, 1925 Ell 16%;; 11295 a 020 65,

Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES A. CURTIN, 0F MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CARDING FIIBROUS MATERIAL.

Application filed January 13, 1925.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. CURTIN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Cal-ding Fibrous Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carding machines for carding or straightening fibrous material such as wool, cotton and the like, and may be applied to first or second breakers, finisher cards, or to garnets if desired.

It is an object of this invention to produce a carding machine capable of greater production of a better carded product with appreciably less waste than has been done heretofore.

It is also an object of the invention to use to great extent existing devices which are readily rearranged for the present purpose at but slight cost and loss of time.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the carding devices that fewer machines are necessary to produce the quality of carded product required than heretofore, hence an appreciable saving is made in floor space, as well as moneyinvested in superfluous machines and their upkeep.

Another object of the invention is to produce a carding machine which greatly reduces fibre breakage and which cards the material in such manner as to accomplish that result and at the same time produce a thoroughly mixed and uniform product.

A still further object of the invention to so arrange the speed of the carding, combing, and doffing members that the material is not so deeply imbedded in the teeth of the carding and combing members as heretofore and therefore cleaner and better doffing results, and the necessity of stopping the machine for the purpose of cleaning results less frequently.

The invention further consists in certain features of arrangement which will be fully understood from a description of the drawing and the claims hereinafter given.

Of the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a sufficient portion of a carding machine to enable the invention to be understood.

Figure 2 is an enlarged View of a pair of 3 workers and their coacting strippers and a portion of the cylinder or swift.

Serial No. 2,135.

Like characters designate like parts throughout the figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

The drawing herewith represents one form of carding machine to which the present invention may be applied but it will be understood that it may be applied to any existing card, first or second breaker, finisher, or to a garnet.

When reference is made herein to the direction of rotation of a roll, it will be considered that when the top of a roll is moving to the right of a line drawn from sa1d top'to the center thereof it is moving forward, and backward when moving in the reverse direction; the teeth of a roll incline forwardly when inclined toward the right of said line, and backwardly when reversely inclined.

The mateLriallO, to be carded, is presented to the feed rolls 11 and 12, taken by the burr roll, Vorlicker in 13 having the usual burr guard 13 coacting therewith from which it is transferred to the cylinder or swift 14 by the tumbler 15 and carried to the worker rolls now to be described.

In the present instance the worker rolls l6 and 17 are arranged in pairs, each roll of a pair being in carding contact with the cylinder 14: and in carding contact with its mate at the bight of the rolls 18.

The drawing shows three pairs of worker rolls 16 and 17 but it will be understood that the number of pairs will be limited only by the requirements of the work and the size of the machine to which the invention is applied.

As each pair of worker rolls operates on the material in the same manner as the others, it is believed that the description of the operation of one pair will sufiice to enable the invention to be understood.

When the material has been delivered to the cylinder 14: it is carried thereby to the several sets of workers by which it is picked up and receives its first carding at approximately the points 20 and 21; the material taken by the several sets of rolls 16 and 17 is not transferred from one to the other but remains on its respective roll until transferred to the cylinder 14 by the clearer rolls 22 and 23 respectively,

In carrying out this invention it has been found that decidedly better results are obtained by reducing the surface speed of the cylinder 14, and speeding up the workers 16 and 17 and the doifer 24, the workers 17, however, being driven at an appreciably higher speed than the workers 16.

As the material on thesaid rolls 16v and 17 passes the bight 18, a carding action is given to the material of each roll because of the inclination of the teeth of said rolls and the higher rate of speed, of the rolls 17 After the carding action at the bight 18 the material of roll 16 will be carried around in the direction of the arrow thereon until stripped by the roll 22'and transferred to the cylinder 14: where it will be again carded, if necessary, at the point 20 when it will have undergone threecarding operations on its return to said pointQO.

Meanwhile, the material on the roll 17 will receive its first carding zit-this time at the point 21 and as before. stated will be carded at the bight l8 and carried around in the direction of the arrow to be stripped by the roll 23 and transferred to the cylinder-1 1, thus-receiving .twocarding operationswhen 1t hasagain reached the'said cyLnder.

As the material on worker 17 is trans pair, or the next pair for two carding operations.

Fromthe foregoing it will be readily understood that with the present method of carding, the material will be more-thoroughly mixed than has beenv possible or known heretofore.

It will also be observed that with the exception of the action of the roll 16 which operates on the material in usual and well" known mannerubut whichin lllllS'lllSllilIlCe also performs a carding action on the material of the roll 11", the material is not returned to the hrst worker for recarding as is done in many of the .well known so called.

double card systems, but is progressively advanced along the cylinder surface.

dis compared with known carding ma chines the cylinder 14 of the present invenf tion is run at a slower speed, while the workers and dofl'er have had their speed increased which arrangement together with the carding operations between the pairs of workers has enabled greater production of better carded material with less waste, to be accomplished, than heretofore.

Because of the fact that the cylinder speed has been reduced, the fibre is not subjected to the harsh, breaking, tearing action rapid and transfer it' to; the cylinder.

ly imposed upon it by a high speed cylinder, and therefore less breakage offibre results,

which, means decrease of waste, and the has ever been used wherein re-cardingoperationshave occurred duringor intermediate the card ng operations and Iwherem a goodly; portion at least of :the material 1S,.car-

'ried by certain worker rolls, in agprogressivemanner, and advanced along thecylinder surface, and therefore it is-notgthe, intention to limit the, invention to the partic ular devices shown herein aschanges; might be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

Having described the invention I claim:

1.. A-fcarding; machine comprising a cylinder, a plurality of rolls arranged in groups and in carding contact withsaid cylinder, certain of the, rolls of each group being of such arrangement, as to each card the material of the adjacentroll. 2. Aicarding machine comprising acyliir der, a plurality of ,pairs;of rolls arranged in carding contact iwith ,said cylinder, each zofsaidirolls, ;of a pair beingarranged to card the material, carriedby the. other vroll. 3. A cardingmachine comprising a cylinder; a plurality of rolls arranged in groups and in carding contact with said cylinder,

{the rolls ;of each group being of such ar- ,rangement asto card the material passing betweentheln; and means to strip material from the firstand last rolls of each group 1. A carding machine comprisingacylinder; worker; rolls arranged in carding contact with said cylinder and in cardingcontact with each other, one of said rolls being arranged to return its material backwardly for, recardmg between itself and said cylinder, the other roll being arranged to carry :its material forwardly to be delivered to said cylinder; and means to cause transfer of material: from said workers to said cylinder.

5. A carding machine comprising a cylinder; worker rolls arranged in carding contact with said cylinder, and in carding contact with each other, one of said rolls. being driven at a relatively higher'speed than the other, the teeth of one of said rolls being inclined in a direction opposite itsrotation,

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the teeth of the other roll being inclined in the direction of its rotation, the rotation and arrangement of the said rolls being such that each receives material from said cylinder, and each aids in carding the material carried by the other; and means to strip material from said rolls and transfer it to said cylinder.

6. The method of straightening fibrous material consisting in feeding material to a relatively slow speed cylinder, subjecting it to the action of Worker rolls driven in opposite directions and one at higher speed than the other, carding the material of each roll by the adjacent roll and transferring the material of one roll backwardly to said cylinder and the material of the adjacent roll forwardly to said cylinder.

Signed by me at Medford, Mass, this 6th day of January, 1925.

JAMES A. GURTIN. 

